Accused admitted to stabbing girlfriend 51 times – witness testimony

A man accused of murdering his girlfriend by stabbing her 51 times with a knife at Otjiwarongo three years ago told a relative during a phone conversation he had assaulted his alleged victim and stabbed her.

This is according to testimony given by a state witness, Kamati Muramba, during the trial of murder accused Lolo Kambwela in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.

Kambwela (32) is standing trial before judge Claudia Claasen on counts of murder, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, and defeating or obstructing the course of justice.

He denied guilt on both charges when his trial began in October last year.

Kambwela is accused of murdering his then girlfriend, Nghimushima Haufiku (19), at Otjiwarongo on 13 February 2022.
The state is alleging that Kambwela stabbed Haufiku 51 times with a knife after an argument.

He is also accused of locking Haufiku’s body up in the shack where she was killed, before he left the scene, and of hiding or throwing away the knife with which Haufiku was stabbed.

According to the state, Kambwela went to a police station at Otjiwarongo to hand himself over during the night after Haufiku’s death.

The court has heard that a medical doctor who carried out a post-mortem examination on Haufiku’s body recorded 51 injuries that had been caused by a sharp, pointed object.

The injuries included 13 stab wounds to Haufiku’s neck and 14 stab injuries to her back.

Muramba testified yesterday that he and Kambwela are related to each other.

He said Kambwela arrived at his home during the afternoon of 13 February 2022 and told him he had a pregnant girlfriend and that Muramba should help her if she came to him.

Before leaving, Kambwela said he was going to kill himself or hand himself over to the police, Muramba recounted.

He continued that when he asked Kambwela why he was saying that, Kambwela said he had found his girlfriend in a room with another man and that he then beat the man up. Kambwela also said he injured the man and did not know if he was alive or dead.

Muramba said Kambwela left, and about 30 minutes later he received a phone call from Kambwela.

During the phone conversation that followed, Kambwela told him to go to his girlfriend’s house to check on her, because he had assaulted her and stabbed her with a knife, Muramba said.

Kambwela also again said he was going to kill himself or hand himself over to the police, Muramba told the judge.

According to Kambwela, he did not make a phone call to Muramba that afternoon, and he did not tell the witness that he had assaulted and stabbed his girlfriend, defence lawyer Kenneth Siambango told Muramba when he cross-examined him.

Muramba responded that Kambwela called him on his cellphone, said he had assaulted his girlfriend and stabbed her, and asked him to check on her, because he had injured her badly.

The trial is continuing.

Kambwela is being held in custody.

State advocate Anna Amukugo is prosecuting.